raz ll29 georgewashingtoncarver

George Washington Carver LEVELED BOOK • L A Reading A–Z Level L Leveled Book Word Count: 460 George Washington Carver L•O Written by Cynthia Kennedy Henzel Visit www.readinga-z.com for thousands of books and materials www.readinga-z.com •R George Washington Carver Written by Cynthia Kennedy Henzel www.readinga-z.com George Washington Carver in the lab, 1940 Table of Contents Born a Slave Learning on His Own Making a Difference Ideas Are Free 13 A Lasting Message 15 Glossary 16 George Washington Carver • Level L States Where Carver Lived and Worked Iowa Nebraska Illinois Indiana Missouri Kansas Ohio Kentucky Tennessee Oklahoma Arkansas Mississippi Texas Louisiana Georgia Alabama Florida Carver grew up in Missouri, studied in Kansas and Iowa, and worked in Alabama Born a Slave George Washington Carver in the lab, 1940 Table of Contents Born a Slave Learning on His Own George Washington Carver was born in Missouri in 1864, during the Civil War Because his mother was a slave, he was born a slave, too Making a Difference The Civil War (1861–1865) Ideas Are Free 13 The Civil War was a fight between two sides of the United States, the North and the South When it began, slavery was legal in fifteen “slave states” in the South and illegal in seventeen “free states” in the North After the North won the war, all the slaves were freed A Lasting Message 15 Glossary 16 George Washington Carver • Level L Moses Carver The Carver home in Diamond, Missouri When the Civil War ended, George became free He stayed with the people who had owned him, Susan and Moses Carver Susan taught George to read and write More than anything, he liked to garden and explore the world outside George Washington Carver • Level L Learning on His Own George taught himself about plants and animals He wanted to go to school to learn more In many places, black and white students could not attend the same schools George could not go to the school nearby because he was black When he was twelve, he left home to go to another school A year later, he left for Kansas Moses Carver The Carver home in Diamond, Missouri When the Civil War ended, George became free He stayed with the people who had owned him, Susan and Moses Carver Susan taught George to read and write More than anything, he liked to garden and explore the world outside George Washington Carver • Level L A school for black children in Kentucky, 1916 George could not attend college in Kansas because of his skin color When George finished high school in Kansas, he tried to go to college there Once he arrived, though, the college told him he had to leave It did not allow black students George Washington Carver • Level L He didn’t give up, though Instead, he went to college in Iowa There, George learned all about farming He was the first black student to finish and to become a professor at his college George could not attend college in Kansas because of his skin color When George finished high school in Kansas, he tried to go to college there Once he arrived, though, the college told him he had to leave It did not allow black students George Washington Carver • Level L George received his diploma from Iowa State Agricultural College Making a Difference In 1896, Carver went to Alabama to help the poor farmers there These farmers had a big problem Their cotton crops were smaller every year, so the farmers had less and less money Children helped pick cotton on a Mississippi plantation in the late 1800s George Washington Carver • Level L Making a Difference In 1896, Carver went to Alabama to help the poor farmers there These farmers had a big problem Their cotton crops were smaller every year, so the farmers had less and less money Carver held a chunk of soil from a worn-out field Carver knew that growing the same crop again and again had worn out the soil He taught the farmers to add dead leaves and plants to the soil to help it He also taught them to plant sweet potatoes, peas, or peanuts These crops put things back into the soil that plants need to grow well Children helped pick cotton on a Mississippi plantation in the late 1800s George Washington Carver • Level L 10 Farmers needed a way to sell these new crops Carver invented more than a hundred ways to use sweet potatoes and three hundred ways to use peanuts! New uses meant new products New products meant new items for farmers to sell Carver at work George Washington Carver • Level L 11 Farmers needed a way to sell these new crops Carver invented more than a hundred ways to use sweet potatoes and three hundred ways to use peanuts! The Truth About Peanut Butter New uses meant new products New products meant new items for farmers to sell Carver invented up to 300 uses for the peanut: pavement, grease, medicines, peanut coffee, peanut mayonnaise, peanut flour, peanut milk, shoe polish, bleach, sandpaper, and more Contrary to popular belief, however, he did not create peanut butter A Native American tribe is known to have eaten a paste made from peanuts more than 500 years ago It wasn’t as creamy as the tasty goo we eat today, though Carver at work George Washington Carver • Level L 11 12 Ideas Are Free In 1921, Carver was asked to speak for ten minutes before the U.S Congress—the country’s lawmakers Some of them didn’t want him to speak because he was black After his ten minutes, however, they asked him to speak more In the end, Congress passed a law to help U.S peanut farmers Carver spoke to members of Congress George Washington Carver • Level L 13 Ideas Are Free In 1921, Carver was asked to speak for ten minutes before the U.S Congress—the country’s lawmakers Some of them didn’t want him to speak because he was black After his ten minutes, however, they asked him to speak more In the end, Congress passed a law to help U.S peanut farmers Once Carver became famous, he met other famous men Here he stood with Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motor Company, in 1938 Carver spoke to members of Congress George Washington Carver • Level L Carver became very famous, and crowds gathered to hear him speak He could have made lots of money, but he thought helping people was more important He believed ideas should be free and freely given 13 14 Not long before he died, Carver donated $33,000 to the Tuskegee Institute to carry on the research he began (That would be about $450,000 today!) A Lasting Message George Washington Carver believed that people should treat each other with respect In time, he won the respect of a whole country Carver also believed that people should care for the Earth If they did, Earth would provide what they needed Now, many years later, we are learning that he was right George Washington Carver • Level L 15 Glossary crops (n.) plants grown for food or other uses; the amount of plants or plant products gathered in one season (p 9) famous (adj.) well known (p 14) Not long before he died, Carver donated $33,000 to the Tuskegee Institute to carry on the research he began (That would be about $450,000 today!) A Lasting Message George Washington Carver believed that people should treat each other with respect In time, he won the respect of a whole country Carver also believed that people should care for the Earth If they did, Earth would provide what they needed Now, many years later, we are learning that he was right George Washington Carver • Level L 15 invented (v.) created, designed, or built something that did not exist before (p 11) professor (n.) a college or university teacher (p 8) slave (n.) a person who is legally owned and completely controlled by another person (p 4) soil (n.) the top layer of the ground, in which plants grow; dirt (p 10) 16 George Washington Carver LEVELED BOOK • L A Reading A–Z Level L Leveled Book Word Count: 460 George Washington Carver L•O Written by Cynthia Kennedy Henzel Visit www.readinga-z.com for thousands of books and materials www.readinga-z.com •R George Washington Carver Written by Cynthia Kennedy Henzel Photo Credits: Front cover: © Corbis; back cover, pages 6, 9: © The Granger Collection, NYC; title page: © Christopher Gannon/Tribune/AP Images; pages 3, 11, 14: © AP Images; page (top): courtesy of Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [HABS MO,73-DIA.V,1 1]; page (bottom): courtesy of George Washington Carver National Monument; pages 10, 15: © Bettmann/Corbis; page 12: © Tetra Images/Alamy George Washington Carver Level L Leveled Book © Learning A–Z Written by Cynthia Kennedy Henzel Illustrated by Stephen Marchesi All rights reserved www.readinga-z.com www.readinga-z.com Correlation LEVEL L Fountas & Pinnell Reading Recovery DRA K 18 20